Building resilience with Re-Act’s refugee mental health initiative

Dr. Clara Calia, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, shares insights on how the Re-Act team is transforming refugee mental health care through culturally tailored, community-led support groups in Edinburgh.

Members of Re-Act
Dr. Clara Calia, front row - furthest left with the Re-Act team.

Championing social justice and ethical leadership in clinical psychology

Dr. Clara Calia is the co-lead of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee within the Clinical Doctorate in Edinburgh and is an active member of both the UK-wide Clinical Doctorate Anti-Racism Group and the British Psychological Society (BPS) Human Rights Advisory Group.

Clara also contributes her ethics expertise to several national and international initiatives, including the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA), the Childlight Research Project led by the University of Edinburgh, and the Independent Research Ethics Committee (IREC), where she serves as a committee member. Social justice is at the core of her clinical and academic work, championing principles of equity, participation, and dialogue with culturally diverse populations and individuals at risk of social injustice. She actively collaborates with organisations such as CARA, Re-Act: Refugee Action Scotland, and Education Beyond Borders.

Addressing refugee mental health through community-led interventions

Refugees face heightened risks of psychological distress, with studies indicating that up to 30% of resettled refugees suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety disorders. Against this backdrop, the Re-Act project in Edinburgh has emerged as a vital source of support for Syrian, Kurdish, and Afghan communities. As a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and a researcher deeply engaged in global and cross-cultural mental health, I have been privileged to contribute to this initiative.

Re-Act’s is focussed to support the mental health and well-being of refugee communities through culturally appropriate, community-rooted approaches. The project centres on building safe spaces for healing, empowerment, and integration.

Project background 

The project offers WHO’s Problem Management Plus (PM+) training alongside CBT techniques to provide low-intensity, trauma-informed care tailored to community needs. This approach ensures that both evidence-based and culturally sensitive models are integrated into mental health support structures.

The Re-Act initiative was founded to respond to the growing needs of Syrian, Kurdish, and Afghan refugees resettled in Edinburgh. Many of these individuals have endured immense trauma, displacement, and the challenges of adapting to new cultural environments. Language barriers, social isolation, and stigma around mental health further complicate their experiences.

In response, Re-Act has developed a range of community-based mental health and psychosocial services. These include support groups, language development initiatives, community events, and most recently, targeted training programmes in evidence-based mental health interventions. A critical feature of the project is its partnership with the University of Edinburgh and involvement of bilingual professionals and community leaders.

Insights with Dr. Clara Calia

My passion for cross-cultural mental health and inclusive research led me to join Re-Act. I was drawn to their commitment to ethical, community-led care and their responsiveness to the real, expressed needs of refugees. I was also deeply inspired by the strong ethical commitment of Liz and Maggie McArthur, whose compassionate and respectful approach to welcoming and supporting refugee communities sets a powerful example of responsibility and care. A crucial figure in this collaboration is Sawsan Osso, the community leader, whose extraordinary ability to unite and empower communities that often struggle to integrate into a new culture and society has been indispensable. Without their dedication and partnership, none of these projects would be possible.


Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and Problem Management Plus (PM+), developed by the WHO, offer practical, scalable interventions for people experiencing common mental health issues. PM+, in particular, is designed for use in low-resource settings, making it ideal for refugee communities. It empowers participants with tools for managing stress, problem-solving, and emotional regulation—skills often disrupted by trauma and displacement.


A person-centred approach acknowledges the complex cultural, social, and individual contexts in which refugees live. It moves away from a one-size-fits-all model and invites participants to shape the support they receive. This respect for agency is central to healing.


We’ve seen significant growth in confidence, emotional expression, and mutual support among participants. For many, these sessions were their first safe space to discuss parenting, trauma, or anxiety. One participant shared, "I thought I had to carry everything by myself. Now I know I’m not alone."


Cultural humility is not just about awareness—it’s about positioning ourselves as learners. Working with bilingual counsellors like Lama Bouchema and community leaders like Sawsan Osso has taught me that listening and co-creation are essential to building trust and relevance.


The power of peer support has stood out. Participants didn’t just receive support—they offered it. We also saw how community events and even simple group activities could counter loneliness and foster belonging.


We involve community members and leaders at every stage of the process, beginning with conversations about their priorities, needs, and aspirations. Rather than suggesting pre-defined solutions, we listen and respond to what matters most to them. Our approach is grounded in ethical, bottom-up engagement that centres lived experience, shifting away from traditional top-down models. This paradigm shift is inspired by frameworks such as 'Hard to Reach or Easy to Ignore?', which calls for identifying structural barriers and enabling meaningful participation from underserved communities. By co-producing interventions in this way, we ensure that the support we offer is not only relevant but owned and shaped by the communities themselves.


Working in collaboration with Lama Bouchema has been absolutely crucial to the success of these initiatives. Her expertise as a bilingual, trauma-informed Arabic-speaking counsellor has ensured that our interventions are not only accessible, but culturally attuned and deeply trusted by the community. Lama's longstanding involvement has shaped the way we approach trauma, cultural adaptation, and psychosocial care. We are now also collaborating with Martha Alrai, another highly experienced Arabic-speaking counsellor whose contributions are strengthening our reach and expanding our ability to engage with different sections of the community.

Another valuable addition to our team has been Dr. Alice Gritti, a colleague from the University of Edinburgh, who plays a key role in coordinating our work with students. Her involvement has helped foster a new generation of psychologists with a strong interest in global mental health and community engagement. These students not only gain critical hands-on experience but also contribute meaningfully to our initiatives through their voluntary work.

These collaborations have significantly deepened our impact. These partnerships—including with volunteers, third-sector organisations, and academic staff—form the backbone of our collective success.


The impact of culturally rooted, creative support

Over the past three years, Re-Act has delivered tailored support to hundreds of individuals across multiple communities. Our support groups, initially aimed at women, expanded to include men and Afghan participants, reflecting evolving community needs.

We’ve facilitated:

  • Women’s groups focused on parenting and mental health.
  • Family communication groups using play-based methods.
  • Men’s support groups to address stigma around emotional expression.
  • Photovoice and participatory arts workshops to support narrative agency.

We recently hosted Professor Erminia Colucci, a leading expert in arts-based mental health and suicide prevention research, for a workshop with the Syrian community involved in Re-Act. This included a half-day interactive session with a film screening and a two-day photovoice workshop focused on the theme of suicide recovery—a topic chosen by members of the community themselves. Participants captured photos and created captions to reflect their lived experiences, sparking powerful conversations and generating visual materials that, with consent, will be shared within the School of Health in Social Science.

These workshops are part of a broader initiative using arts-based and visual methodologies—such as collaborative filming, participatory video, and digital storytelling—to amplify marginalised voices and foster inclusive, community-led research. These initiatives involve charity members, students, academic staff, and volunteers—each contributing uniquely to their success.

Looking ahead

As part of our ongoing commitment, I recently received funding through the Education Beyond Borders scheme to lead a new project focused on the Kurdish community in Edinburgh. This initiative will explore cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers to accessing mental health support, and will deliver three community-based support groups—one for men, one for women, and one for Kurdish individuals who primarily speak Turkish or Arabic.

The groups will be facilitated by a Kurdish-speaking clinical psychologist, supported by bilingual assistants and community leaders. The methodology combines PM+, community-based participatory research (CBPR), and trauma-informed approaches. Pre- and post-session questionnaires and participant feedback will guide our evaluation. Ethical approval will be obtained from the University of Edinburgh, and all sessions will prioritise informed consent, cultural sensitivity, and confidentiality.

Anticipated outcomes include improved access to culturally sensitive mental health care, greater community awareness and resilience, and increased trust in local services. Findings will inform tailored interventions and contribute to the wider evidence base on refugee mental health.

These programmes have been co-developed with Re-Act to address a critical gap in the healthcare system—namely, the lack of mental health professionals trained to work with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. I am also deeply committed to strengthening training for the next generation of clinicians and researchers. Through initiatives such as the European Consortium on Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology (ECCroN) and the One Health Field Network, I aim to support the development of tools and approaches that respect diverse conceptualisations of mental health and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

Find out more about the One Health Field Network

Ethics is, and must remain, at the heart of all work involving marginalised communities. I co-developed the ETHICA-4P: Ethics Toolkit for Harnessing Integrity in Complex Arenas in collaboration with Professor Corinne Reid, Professor Liz Grant and Dr Cristobal Guerra and with over 400 global researchers. This toolkit supports practitioners in navigating the ethical complexities of participatory research, particularly in contexts marked by vulnerability and structural inequality. It is a foundational part of all my work, guiding the design and delivery of mental health programmes that are equitable, participatory, and respectful of difference. 

Find out more about supporting ethical research and clinical practice: 

ETHICA-4P: Supporting ethical research and clinical practice

Closing reflections

To continue and expand these efforts, we urgently need greater funding and institutional support. Additional resources are required to train more healthcare professionals in culturally responsive mental health care, ensuring that practitioners are equipped to support diverse populations effectively. We also need financial support that allows dedicated time for academic staff to engage in this essential work—currently, my time on these projects is not covered by any grants. Moreover, expanding this research and intervention work demands sustainable funding pathways to support both the delivery and evaluation of our community-based models.

During Refugee Week, we are reminded of the power of community, creativity, and compassion in transforming mental health support. Re-Act’s journey is far from over—but it offers a hopeful model of what’s possible when academic institutions, grassroots organisations, and communities come together. 

Together, we can help ensure that every refugee feels seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.

Learn more or get involved with Re-Act:

*This story is part of our 2025 Refugee Week series celebrating the resilience, creativity, and contributions of displaced people within the University of Edinburgh community.* 

This article was published on